On 14th August 2025, the Naga community in India commemorated the 79th Anniversary of the Naga Independence Day. On this occasion, Ms. Mercè Monje Cano, UNPO Secretary General, delivered a message of solidarity to the Naga people, who remain in pursuit of their dignity, justice, and political recognition.
The commemoration, an international event held online, brought together Naga citizens from across the globe, including leaders, elders, and youth, as well as advocates from around the world. The Naga Independence Day carries a profound meaning for the Naga people, who first asserted their right to self-determination in 1947 and continue to reaffirm their identity, culture, heritage, and governance systems in the face of increasing challenges and an unimplemented peace agreement with India.
The situation of the Naga is specific, as an Indigenous People that spans across four states in India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland), and Myanmar, meaning that the Naga people are deeply impacted by regional dynamics that cannot be ignored. Geopolitical dynamics across South and Southeast Asia are shifting rapidly, and these changes are directly impacting border communities whose daily lives are increasingly shaped by decisions taken in New Delhi, Beijing, and Islamabad. Borders in the region are no longer simple lines on a map: they have become strategic frontiers where world powers compete for security, natural resources, trade routes, and political influence.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is expanding its influence in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, creating a network of infrastructure that strategically encircles India. To the west, tensions with Pakistan, especially in Kashmir, continue to fuel militarisation, while to the east the crisis in Myanmar has forced thousands to cross the border, with India responding through reinforced checkpoints and the construction of fences rather than through humanitarian protection.
These developments show clearly that the region is treated by global powers as a strategic corridor. Yet it must be remembered that it is, first and foremost, home to communities that have lived there for centuries. Their voices, identities, and rights cannot be ignored. As the UNPO Secretary General highlighted in her address:
“Decisions made in distant capitals shape realities here. But it is your voice that must be at the center, that should shape your reality. And this truth cannot and will not be ignored for longer.”
Ms. Monje Cano also praised the Naga people’s resilience and their enduring commitment to nonviolence:
“Choosing peace in the face of injustice is never easy. But it is a choice where your strength is revealed. Nonviolence is not weakness. It is wisdom, strategy, and the most powerful path to lasting recognition and protection of your people.”
UNPO stands in solidarity with the Naga people, members of UNPO since 1993, and with all Peoples worldwide who share the same struggle to preserve identity, lands, and self-determination under intense geopolitical pressure.
Watch and read the UNPO Secretary General’s full speech below:
“Dear friends, brothers and sisters from Nagalim. First of all, I would like to honor the elders and the ancestors of the Naga people past and present, whose wisdom, courage and sacrifice have kept the spirit of Nagalim alive through generations.
I would also like to thank the Global Naga Forum for inviting me today as Secretary General of the UNPO and on behalf of over 300 million people we represent. It is a profound honor to join you today.
Nagalim has been part of our family since 1993. And today, as every year, we celebrate your resilience, your courage, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to your identity and your land. Your struggle is not only history. It’s a beacon for the future. A story that must be heard, supported, and recognized by the world. The UNPO was founded on the belief that all peoples have an equal right to decide their own future, preserve their identity and shape their destiny.
Your struggle embodies this principle and us and the world that self-determination is not a privilege determined by the state but it is the peoples’ it is also the Naga people’s. The Naga history is one of resilience through centuries of change. From cell governments in village councils guided by customary laws to a deep connection with your land and traditions that long predate colonial borders. Yes, colonial powers divided your ancestral land homeland without your consent, separating families and communities. Yet, your unity has endured through shared heritage, culture, and a vision for dignity, peace, and self-determination. Your songs, oral histories, and festivals continue to preserve the memory of unity. Your traditions and your spiritual connection to the land have endured across generations, bringing together Naga communities on both sides of artificial borders. Today the world is at a turning point everywhere. All of us, we feel the weight of global challenges, of decisions taken far from us that seem impossible to influence. Sometimes, you may feel this when you wake up in the morning and we cannot ignore the difficulties you face. Your region stands at the crossroad of geopolitical competition between India and China in the north, in the shadow of India-Pakistan tensions to the west, and facing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar to the east.
Militarization, border fencing and the securitization of humanitarian issues directly affect your daily lives and undermine your rights. Decisions made in distant capitals shape realities here. But it is your voice that must be at the center, that should shape your reality. And this truth cannot and will not be ignored for longer.
In your journey for self-determination, there have been both challenges and milestones. The peace agreement that symbolized the potential for dialogue and collective effort for full implementation unfortunately remains incomplete. The road has not yet reached its end. And this is why, still today, solidarity, unity, sustained engagement, and amplifying your voice nationally and internationally, remains essential. The UNPO has stood in solidarity with you for three decades and continues to do so today and will do tomorrow. Not only in words, but in action. We bring your concerns into global decision making spaces, support your advocacy and strengthen alliances with like-minded communities around the world. We stand side by side with you, supporting your choice to choose a nonviolent path towards self-determination. And we know this is not an easy choice under the burden of oppression.
Choosing peace in the face of injustice is never easy. But it is a choice that your strength is revealed. Nonviolence is not weakness. It’s wisdom, strategy, and the most powerful path to lasting recognition and protection of your people. We are also aware of the challenges that all peoples face to keep united during this long way to self-determination. But do not forget that people’s unity is essential and division only limits your power. Now more than ever, we must work together across generations, across peoples, across regions, across differences to build a shared vision and a united front. The UNPO and all UNPO members are committed to support this unity, to create spaces of dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect. Do not forget that you are not alone. You have allies everywhere; everywhere where UNPO members are. From Indigenous communities across Asia to movements in Africa and advocates in the Americas. All fighting for justice and facing challenges that echo your own. These shared struggles create bonds that cross borders, reminding us that your cause is a part of a global movement for dignity, rights, and self-determination.
The UNPO and myself, we stand firmly with you. We will continue to work side by side with your leaders and communities, side by side with each of you, ensuring that your story is told not in isolation, but as a part of an international co chorus killing calling for recognition, justice and peace. Together we can transform your narrative from one shaped by imposed boundaries into one defined by your own choices. A story of resilience, dignity, nonviolence, and unity. Dear friends, solidarity and hope are not a luxury, our responsibility. And today, more than ever, we share that responsibility to hope, to act, to stand together, and to protect the path for peace. Thank you.”
